The present invention relates to a method of making a food product from the thigh of a bird or other animal, as well as to the food product produced thereby and, more specifically, to such a food product which is partially deboned to form a handle for easy handling of the food product.
Birds, such as poultry and fowl, are conventionally eviscerated, dressed and sold either as a whole bird or as separate parts, i.e., breasts, thighs, wings, etc. One of the parts which is often separated and sold is the upper portion of the bird leg, generally referred to as the thigh. Typically thighs are sold with the skin in place and with thigh meat surrounding an elongated bone that extends generally from one end of the thigh meat to the other.
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for innovative meat products, particularly products which require less time for preparation and which include little or no waste. There has also been an increasing demand for meat products which are boneless or relatively boneless, making such products easier to consume. Hence, products such as boneless chicken breasts, chicken tenders, etc., have enjoyed tremendous commercial success. Other innovative products such as xe2x80x9chot wings,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cbuffalo wings,xe2x80x9d etc., have also obtained enhanced popularity for the respective cuts from which they are prepared.
Until recently, some bird parts, such as thighs, have not been particularly amenable to such enhanced commercial processing and preparation methods for a variety of reasons primarily related to the type of meat (dark vs. light), the size of the thigh meat, the centralized location of the bone, etc.
One example of making a food product using the thigh of a bird is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,064 and is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. To generate the food product from bird thighs, the side lobes of the thigh meat are removed. The removal of the side lobes results in a more convenient and fun to eat food product. However, the food product that results still has a bone present throughout a substantial portion of the thigh meat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,984 discloses a method of making a food product from a drumstick of a bird or other animal and is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The food product manufactured from the drumstick removes a portion of the drumstick and its bone to allow one to eat the drumstick meat without having to worry about biting down on a bone. While this food product works well with drumsticks, the lack of a suitable handle would prevent the use of the method with thigh cuts of meat.
What is needed, but so far not provided by the conventional art, is a fun to eat food product that is partially deboned to form a handle that increases the convenience with which thigh meat is consumed, that can be sliced to create convenient sections of meat that can be individually separated for easy and convenient consumption, and that can be dipped in batter, breaded, and then baked or deep fried. A method of making such a fun to eat food product is also not provided by the conventional art.
One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of making a food product including the steps of: selecting a thigh of an animal, the thigh comprising a thigh bone at least partially surrounded with thigh meat, the thigh bone having a first end and a second end; and partially deboning the thigh causing the first end of the thigh bone to extend from the thigh meat to form a handle for holding the food product, the thigh meat being generally positioned proximate to the second end of the thigh bone after the partial deboning.
The present invention is alternatively directed to a fun to eat food product formed from an animal""s thigh, including a thigh bone having a first end and a second end. Thigh meat has an overall generally elongated shape and extends from the second end of the thigh bone and is generally secured thereto. A handle is formed by the first end of the thigh bone extending from the thigh meat.